Animal pictures of the year 2012: part one

An owl who is afraid of flying outside in big open spaces has been given his own red brick house. Gandalf the great grey owl gets scared flying out in the open so his owners have built his aviary inside a brick shed. He now spends his days watching the world go by out of his window. "He is a bit of a wuss as he doesn't like flying in big open spaces," said owner Janet Southard, who runs the Wild Arena photography company, based inside Knowsley Safari Park near Liverpool.Picture: Mark Bridger / Rex Features